"These aren’t your typical college applications, but the newest way admissions teams are encouraging students to showcase their talents. As a supplement to the regular forms, schools like George Mason University, outside Washington, D.C., Tufts University, outside Boston, and the College of William & Mary, in Virginia, are giving students the option to stray from the traditional essay and advertise their best qualities on YouTube. “Say something about you,” reads the Tufts application. “Anything goes,” prompts William & Mary. The bottom line? It’s a welcome break from the norm. “Kids feel so much pressure when applying to college today that a lot of them are scared to death to just be themselves,” says Kevin McMullin, the president of Collegewise, a private-counseling company. YouTube “coaxes kids to relax—and maybe even have a little fun.”"

A Case Study in YouTube Shaping the Future of a Student
Many students (including mine) now have full websites and a portfolio of videos representing their work. Many of the opportunities for my students have happened through video, most notably, Virginia, a student of mine who created a video in ninth grade that led to a film crew from George Lucas' Edutopia coming on campus, and then a featureette in Edutopia Editor Milton Chen's new book, Education Nation.

Virginia's Youtube Video

It all started with a Youtube video in ninth grade. Videos are the new essay. No doubt, this is a pivotal point in Virginia's life.

Do Essays Go Viral?

In older times it was words that went viral - the pamphlets that were printed. Now, video servers can pump out video streams faster than a printing press could ever zip out paper. How many essays have you heard of that have gone viral in the last month?

Sure, blog posts seem to go viral, but not quite at the volume of videos on Youtube.

Videos Are Game Changers
The game changers are videos both in society and in the lives of our children. Learning how to effectively craft a digital story is not just a twenty first century literacy, but instead one of the keys to the future success and prosperity of those who embrace and understand that telling a digital story is different from writing essays and even blogging, it is an art form.

This is only the beginning, but for those who start this race early, there are many awards awaiting.

Don't Drop the Essay
Don't think that this is a matter of essay OR video. Or even essay or blog or video. Really, we're at the point of essay, blog, podcast, video, wiki, and so many forms of digital literacies that we need all of them - not just one. Fundamentally, a child who can speak and read and write is prepared to learn to create video. However, just being ready isn't enough.

Getting Ready for More Digital Stories
For now, I'm totally pumped about the largest Flat Classroom project ever - a whopping 651 students on two wikis researching and creating videos. For those who might wonder "where Vicki's been" it is there amidst the bits and bytes of Flat Classroom working to make it ready for the students and teachers to collaborate.

More digital stories waiting to be told and crafted. Oh, to get better at teaching this amazing, exciting art!

Every Classroom Matters (Recent Shows)

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I subscribe to the Blogger’s Code of Ethics, and am required, pursuant to those ethical guidelines and the requirements of the Federal Trade Commission, to disclose certain relationships related to this blog. I am compensated to provide my opinion on certain resources, services, websites and various other topics, and accept certain forms of paid advertising (which will always be identified as paid advertisements). However, though I receive compensation for certain posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics. Any compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own unless otherwise indicated. Any product claim, warranty, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

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